Catching Up
Okay! It's been a few MONTHS since I've last blogged. Eeek! This is due to several factors: 1.) life is busier now, as I believe we are 80% acclimated to living in Oregon now. The other 20% of non-acclimation factor is due to severe pining for friends and family back in MN. Sigh. I don't think that will ever go away. William has it the worst of any of us, poor bugger. 2.) I have kids that use my computer and believe it is theirs, fussing and moaning whenever I "need" to use it. Therefore, the path of least resistance was for me to skip using the computer until after they go to bed. Well, duh, I'm freaking exhausted by then and for some reason Paul prefers my computer to his laptop, so then HE wanted to use it. Fine, I'll just read a book and go to bed. 3.) I think, as we become more adjusted here, that life feels more "normal" every day. Stupid things like driving on the obnoxious highway with 42 traffic lights and 200 billboards between here and the next city don't seem so novel. Seeing the llamas on the way to work is a highlight, but no longer out of the ordinary (except now they've had babies again - OMG, they are SO CUTE!).
In any case, I still have things to say and I've been missing blogging. We finally got Thomas a computer to call his own - for two or three birthdays and Christmases, that is, until he pays for it. So now I have my computer back.
The first thing you need to know is that Thomas and I skied every Saturday in January on Mt. Hood through a program offered in our community. Downside: getting up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus so we could get to the mountain when the slopes open. Yuck. But the bus was this deluxe coach thing and there were video screens available and we watched these wickedly awesome videos about skiing by Warren Miller so by the time we got on the mountain we were frothing at the bit to get out there and GO! I've never skied a mountain before. The chair lifts are a good three times longer than anything in MN, and the weather is not bitter, just cold enough for the snow to stay powdery, and the runs are downright glorious. I am hooked for life. I have begun scrapping plans to buy a mini Cooper and am looking into cars with 4 wheel drive. I am figuring out ways to support my habit - maybe it would be cheaper in the long run to have my own gear? For sure it would save time - no lines for rental gear - therefore more time on the slopes. Maybe I could use three of my birthdays and Christmases to buy gear and season tickets. Maybe, rather than having to leave before the crack of dawn, it would be better to have a cabin or condo up there. That way, we could go as a family, bring the dog, and ski as much as we can handle physically. But I am the only one in the family that is experiencing this feeling of bliss about skiing. I would gladly get up every Saturday at 5 a.m. just to go.
So you see, it is bad. I am progressing in my addiction and it is out of control. I love the mountain. When I drive on the aforementioned ridiculous highway full of signs and stop lights, the mountain is visible on a clear day and it calls my name. It is absolutely beautiful. I used to wonder how Monet could stand to paint the haystacks over and over, with variations due to the time of day, but I can understand painting the mountain over and over. There are never two days alike. Sometimes you can barely see it because of the faint haze. Sometimes it is in stark contrast - white against a deep blue sky. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I think I need to write a sonnet about it.
I've also gotten to spend a few wonderful afternoons with my friend and her horses. Dang, now I have to choose between addictions. She has allowed me to ride one horse, Fury, a bit, groom the horses and just hang out and smell the horsey air. The little horse, Digger, is my favorite - he is too young to ride yet as he is still being trained. But they let me work him on the lunge line (I found out there is an art to doing this without getting dizzy - blea!) and I get to watch while they train him. He is a character.
William and Stephen have been participating in a local Pokemon league. This is a great group of people from adults to young children that get together every week to play the game and trade cards. We went to the regional tournament in Salem, which was a blast, in a B-movie kind of a way. There were people (adults and children) dressed in character, and one of the leaders got a promotion to a higher level volunteer, which they announced at the beginning of the tournament. Evidently, this is a very big deal because the fellow threw his arms up in the air and yelled, then nearly fainted and everyone cheered and some ran up en masse to hug and congratulate him. Seriously, folks, it was like being at a Star Trek convention or something. BUT, you couldn't ask for a nicer group of people. They will lend you a card so your deck is stronger and then you can beat them. One of the members of our group got stuck with someone who had never played the game before, so he had to spend a lot of time explaining the game to her (there was an odd number of players - when this happens, they recruit from the parents that thought they were just coming along for the ride). Well, in the end they ran out of time and she had more points, so he lost. They gave him a "good sportsmanship" prize and recognized him publicly for his generosity. This has been a great source of entertainment for William and Stephen and a good place to make some friends.
Lastly, for now anyway, Stephen and I have started taking martial arts training again. The place that we are going to is a WHOLE lot different than the one we were attending in MN. We got to spar on our third day there, and it is a better cardiovascular workout. Probably one third of the time is spent on form, compared to 3/4 in MN. The MN training was a more pure form of martial art, which has it's benefits, but right now, Stephen and I just need to MOVE and have fun doing it, so I'm really happy with the program.
Okay, that is the bare bones of what we have been up to. Hopefully, now that I have a computer to use again, I'll be able to blog more frequently again and fill in some more of the gaps. Later!
In any case, I still have things to say and I've been missing blogging. We finally got Thomas a computer to call his own - for two or three birthdays and Christmases, that is, until he pays for it. So now I have my computer back.
The first thing you need to know is that Thomas and I skied every Saturday in January on Mt. Hood through a program offered in our community. Downside: getting up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus so we could get to the mountain when the slopes open. Yuck. But the bus was this deluxe coach thing and there were video screens available and we watched these wickedly awesome videos about skiing by Warren Miller so by the time we got on the mountain we were frothing at the bit to get out there and GO! I've never skied a mountain before. The chair lifts are a good three times longer than anything in MN, and the weather is not bitter, just cold enough for the snow to stay powdery, and the runs are downright glorious. I am hooked for life. I have begun scrapping plans to buy a mini Cooper and am looking into cars with 4 wheel drive. I am figuring out ways to support my habit - maybe it would be cheaper in the long run to have my own gear? For sure it would save time - no lines for rental gear - therefore more time on the slopes. Maybe I could use three of my birthdays and Christmases to buy gear and season tickets. Maybe, rather than having to leave before the crack of dawn, it would be better to have a cabin or condo up there. That way, we could go as a family, bring the dog, and ski as much as we can handle physically. But I am the only one in the family that is experiencing this feeling of bliss about skiing. I would gladly get up every Saturday at 5 a.m. just to go.
So you see, it is bad. I am progressing in my addiction and it is out of control. I love the mountain. When I drive on the aforementioned ridiculous highway full of signs and stop lights, the mountain is visible on a clear day and it calls my name. It is absolutely beautiful. I used to wonder how Monet could stand to paint the haystacks over and over, with variations due to the time of day, but I can understand painting the mountain over and over. There are never two days alike. Sometimes you can barely see it because of the faint haze. Sometimes it is in stark contrast - white against a deep blue sky. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I think I need to write a sonnet about it.
I've also gotten to spend a few wonderful afternoons with my friend and her horses. Dang, now I have to choose between addictions. She has allowed me to ride one horse, Fury, a bit, groom the horses and just hang out and smell the horsey air. The little horse, Digger, is my favorite - he is too young to ride yet as he is still being trained. But they let me work him on the lunge line (I found out there is an art to doing this without getting dizzy - blea!) and I get to watch while they train him. He is a character.
William and Stephen have been participating in a local Pokemon league. This is a great group of people from adults to young children that get together every week to play the game and trade cards. We went to the regional tournament in Salem, which was a blast, in a B-movie kind of a way. There were people (adults and children) dressed in character, and one of the leaders got a promotion to a higher level volunteer, which they announced at the beginning of the tournament. Evidently, this is a very big deal because the fellow threw his arms up in the air and yelled, then nearly fainted and everyone cheered and some ran up en masse to hug and congratulate him. Seriously, folks, it was like being at a Star Trek convention or something. BUT, you couldn't ask for a nicer group of people. They will lend you a card so your deck is stronger and then you can beat them. One of the members of our group got stuck with someone who had never played the game before, so he had to spend a lot of time explaining the game to her (there was an odd number of players - when this happens, they recruit from the parents that thought they were just coming along for the ride). Well, in the end they ran out of time and she had more points, so he lost. They gave him a "good sportsmanship" prize and recognized him publicly for his generosity. This has been a great source of entertainment for William and Stephen and a good place to make some friends.
Lastly, for now anyway, Stephen and I have started taking martial arts training again. The place that we are going to is a WHOLE lot different than the one we were attending in MN. We got to spar on our third day there, and it is a better cardiovascular workout. Probably one third of the time is spent on form, compared to 3/4 in MN. The MN training was a more pure form of martial art, which has it's benefits, but right now, Stephen and I just need to MOVE and have fun doing it, so I'm really happy with the program.
Okay, that is the bare bones of what we have been up to. Hopefully, now that I have a computer to use again, I'll be able to blog more frequently again and fill in some more of the gaps. Later!
posted by Lydia | 8:37 AM
2 Comments:
Wow!
It's good to hear all the exciting things you're doing out there!
I love reading your "spin" on things! (Tell me, how do you avoid getting dizzy when lunging a horse? Kind of like ice skaters focus when they spin around? I get sick just thinking about it!)
Well, seems kind of "slow" back here - just riding in the Minnesota Sesquicentennial (Did I spell that right? Still can't pronounce it!) Wagon Train and then riding "side-kick" with the Cannon Falls police... see my blog when you can... http://alongthewaybyrosie.blogspot.com/
Love,
Rosie
Hey, you! Great to see you are blogging again. Been thinking about you tons lately. Due for a phone call, I guess! Nice to hear about the boys. Hugs to all,
kp
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